Shetland Arts has announced that tickets for the evening concerts at Fiddle Frenzy, which take place every night of the festival week running 2 – 9 August, will go on sale Friday 1st May. Centered around the tuition of Shetland traditional fiddle, Fiddle Frenzy is now in its 12th year and has again been curated by Jenna & Bethany Reid.
Lynda Anderson of Shetland Arts said
“Jenna and Bethany have again collated an exciting line up of tutors and concerts for the week. We"re delighted to have had the fastest ever sale of packages this year, with some classes already very close to full capacity, demonstrating the continuing strength of Fiddle Frenzy and the worldwide interest in Shetland fiddle”.
The opening concert on Sunday 2 August will showcase the fantastic local talent of Bryan Gear & Violet Tulloch, and will also feature Trig Bag – a recently formed duo, made up of fiddler / singer Claire White and guitarist Robbie Leask, and also father and daughter duo Ewen & Martha Thomson, on guitar and fiddle with a selection of traditional tunes.
Monday 3 August concert will take place in the Garrison Theatre, headlined by Angus Lyon and Ruaridh Campbell, widely accepted as one of Scotland's most creative fiddle and accordion / piano duos. Drawing on a wide variety of influences that include Argentinean tango master Astor Piazzolla, the European classical school and New York jazz as well as Scottish tune forms, this is music with genuine heart and soul. Gemma Donald will also perform, with her vibrant, exciting fiddle talent, in true Shetland tradition.
Tuesday evening's concert will take place at the Aith Hall and will showcase well known Westside musicians of the Deyell family in the form of Eart Kyent, a band with roots many years back that have recently begun to perform again to the delight of Shetland audiences. Andrew Gifford, of Fiddlers" Bid will also perform. The concert will be followed by an informal session in the Rankin Lounge.
Wednesday night will see a return of the "Shetland Sets" night at Mareel, introduced at Fiddle Frenzy 2014 as a relaxed cabaret style event in the main auditorium. The night will feature a variety of Shetland traditional musicians.
Orcadian duo Saltfishforty, aka Douglas Montgomery & Brian Cromarty will headline the Thursday night concert at Mareel. Saltfishforty have delighted audiences at many of the world's top folk festivals, touring to the US and throughout Europe. Their focus on Orkney music takes in traditional, contemporary and original material, boldly crossed with influences from America to East Europe, plus a high-octane whiff of heavy metal.
With another out of town day at Fiddle Frenzy on Friday 7th to Yell, the evening concert will take place in the Cullivoe Hall, featuring Iain Williamson, an outstanding Shetland fiddler originally from Burravoe, Yell. Orkney based duo Jenny Keldie & Brian Cromarty will also perform. Originally from Shetland, Jenny is a well known fiddler and singer, whose recent duo collaborations with Brian have received glowing reviews for their beautiful vocal harmonies. They released their first album "At First Light" to great acclaim 2014.
The final concert of the week will take place at Mareel on Saturday 8 August and feature 2015 Fiddle Frenzy students, Birls Aloud and Mairearad & Anna. Birls Aloud, featuring Eunice Henderson and members of the Johnson family from Cunningsburgh, play a range of local and continental music, including from Norway and Russia. Headlining duo Mairearad Green and Annie Massie are two of Scotland's most admired multi-instrumentalists, known for their highly energetic performances.
Fiddle Frenzy classes run throughout the week, offering fiddle tuition at improver, intermediate and advanced levels. Full Frenzy and Half Frenzy packages have been on sale since February and are now very close to capacity, again attracting students from around the world, including Australia and USA, as well as a number of local players. The fiddle tutors for this year are: Cathy Geldard, Kirsten Hendry, Gemma Donald, Claire White, Eunice Henderson, Andrew Gifford, Jenny Keldie and Alan Gifford.
Guitar tuition is also offered and Shetland Arts is delighted to reveal this year's guitar tutors are now confirmed as Kris Drever, Anna Massie and Brian Cromarty. All very much respected instrumentalists within the Scottish music scene, they will share the teaching of the single guitar class that takes place during the week, teaching students of mixed ability. Any students wishing to sign up should be familiar with basic chords and at an intermediate to advanced level.
Creative Fringe classes, led by Amy Fisher and Ana Arnett are also available across the week, and prove popular with family members visiting Shetland with music students. They hold a wealth of experience in leading workshops and work as art practitioners for local carers groups, Restorative Justice Shetland and various youth and educational groups.
Tickets for Fiddle Frenzy concerts are on sale now. Booking is via Shetland Box Office in Mareel & Islesburgh, over the phone on 01595 745 555, or online at shetlandboxoffice.org or mareel.org. More info can be found at shetlandarts.org/fiddlefrenzy.